Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate thxe relationship between the magnitude of an earthquake, the fear experienced, the self-efficacy beliefs, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in adolescents. We expected self-efficacy beliefs to predict post-traumatic stress symptoms, and this relation to be mediated by fear. We used data from a longitudinal project on adolescent normative development that was under way at the time of the 2010 earthquake in Chile. Six months before the earthquake, 218 adolescents responded to a self-efficacy beliefs scale; three months after the earthquake they reported the perceived magnitude of the event, the fear they experienced, and their post-traumatic stress symptoms. Results showed that perceived magnitude was not associated with fear or post-traumatic stress symptoms, but self-efficacy beliefs and fear were associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms. The hypothesized role of fear as a mediator in the relation between self-efficacy beliefs and post-traumatic stress symptoms was supported by the data. The results of the study, suggest that preventive interventions aimed to increase awareness of how to face a disaster may not only contribute to save lives but may also increase adolescents' sense of personal efficacy, reducing subsequent emotional reactivity associated with the event. (C) 2014 Asociacion Espanola de Psicologia Conductual. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.